Dangerous Disruptions: 3 Ways Manufacturers Can Harden Their Operations

Innovation Dangerous Disruptions: 3 Ways Manufacturers Can Harden Their Operations Robert Rash Brand Contributor ServiceNow BRANDVOICE Storytelling and expertise from marketers | Paid Program Karan Shrivastrava Brand Contributor ServiceNow BRANDVOICE Storytelling and expertise from marketers | Paid Program Oct 7, 2022, 07:15pm EDT | Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Cyberattacks on manufacturing can have devastating consequences—the time to safeguard your operational technology is now. When hackers infiltrate a casino through an IoT fish tank thermostat, it’s sobering—but it’s admittedly easy to chuckle at or at least admire the ingenuity of the hack. Replace “casino” with “airplane manufacturer” or “pharmaceutical production facility” or “ nuclear power plant ,” though, and no one will be laughing.

The manufacturing risk landscape is becoming more complex by the minute. getty Manufacturing is more vulnerable than ever to cyberattacks. In fact, it recently gained the dubious distinction of being the most targeted sector, according to IBM Security.

The consequences of a cyberattack can be dire, and not just economically. Stopped production on a factory floor can cost SMEs $300,000 per hour , and even more for large manufacturers, according to research by ITIC. Ransomware attacks can take factories down for a week or more.

In plenty of cases, cyberattacks on manufacturing entities can cause environmental disaster or loss of life. More complexity, more problems Why is manufacturing especially at risk? As factory floor assets become increasingly smarter and more connected, new vulnerabilities and attack vectors are introduced into the manufacturing organization. A recent study by ThoughtLab and ServiceNow found that manufacturers rank last out of all industries surveyed when it comes to cybersecurity preparedness (as defined by the NIST framework ).

The survey revealed that 24% of manufacturers aren’t well prepared for the rapidly changing threat landscape. Prioritizing the protection of linked IT and OT (operational technology) assets has been identified as a top 10 best practices for cybersecurity , according to Gartner. Yet only 34% of manufacturers currently plan on making large investments in IT and OT asset protection.

While CISOs have most direct responsibility for managing vulnerabilities, the enormous potential cost of downtime means cybersecurity is everyone’s concern. One significant issue is simply that C-level leaders aren’t uniformly aware of the risks posed by OT vulnerabilities. While CISOs have most direct responsibility for managing those vulnerabilities, the enormous potential cost of downtime means cybersecurity is everyone’s concern.

It’s a strategic business imperative that requires all of the C-suite to work together to mitigate risks . Cover your assets So, how can manufacturers guard against the disruption and harm of cyberattacks? We recommend a three-phase approach. Gain visibility and inventory your assets.

You can’t manage what you can’t see. It’s critical to get a complete, contextual view of your OT systems. If an asset has an IP address, it must be accounted for.

Gauge vulnerability. At the asset, production line, or site level, gauge vulnerability to assess your main vulnerabilities. To be truly useful, you not need to not only generate risk scores at the asset level, but also assess how these vulnerabilities aggregate at higher levels of your organization—from individual components to production lines to the entire factory site.

Strategically remediate. Once you are able to assess vulnerability at every level of your organization, you should remediate any potential weak spots with appropriate service management to ensure all vulnerabilities are resolved, avoiding costly downtime. The ThoughtLab research found that in contrast to its lack of cyberattack readiness, the manufacturing sector is well ahead of the curve on automation.

This suggests manufacturing sector entities are prepared for rapid adoption of OT service management tools, which can readily identify vulnerabilities, assist in safe shutdown in the event of a cyberattack, and provide a roadmap for making the appropriate repairs and returning to production as soon as possible. Unlike IT, OT is still in its infancy, but it’s developing rapidly—as it must, given the risks to both human safety and company revenue. OT service management tools can help you harden your manufacturing facilities against cyberattacks by creating digital workflows for assessing and contextualizing your entire asset ecosystem .

What lives at that IP address? Who owns it? What is its function, and what are its specific vulnerabilities? With that inventory in place, you can fully understand your asset landscape, audit routinely, and move quickly in the event that all or part of a manufacturing facility is compromised. The landscape of cyberthreats is always in flux, but the fundamentals of defending your enterprise are constant. These measures can save manufacturers from costly interruptions—or worse.

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